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Places to See North Aegean, Turkey

Major sights and attractions are included in this guide.

Troy

Behramkale (Assos)

Ayvalik

Bergama- Pergamon

Izmir

Cesme-Karaburun- Ildiri- Erythrai

Ephesus

Kusadasi

Dilek National Park

Troy

The legendary city of Troy is located near the modern city of Canakkale, on the northearnmost part of the city.

The first inhabitants, Mediterraneans, of the legendary city of Troy dwelled in this tiny town. Their ancient culture which was western and unrelated to Central Anatolia will leave a remarkable presence in the Bronze Age . This village on top of a hill, overlooking the blue of the Eagean Sea has been the target of the people from the other coast of the sea. Troy is the scene of the mythical Trojan wars, the first multinational war. And it will be conquered many times, destroyed by earthquakes and rebuilt throughout milleniums.

Today, the site does not offer much to see for the average traveler, but it is a nice experience to see one of the most important historical scenes in the world.

Behramkale (Assos)

Assos (Behramkale), an ancient Greek city, built on top of a small hill by the sea is a less visited village for travelers to Turkey. The obvious reason is that the village is 2 hours off the regular tour paths passing through Pergamon and Troy. For this reason only those who are on private tours or traveling with a rental car can get to see this tiny tiny place.

Taking the two hour road that winds around small hills on Edremit bay leads to Assos. Along the road you will see many cheap and beautiful camping places right by the sea, especially around Ayvacik (not Ayvalik, a more popular destination). There are also many hotels and motels in the area, usually serving weekend travelers from Istanbul and Bursa.

Assos has only just a few hotels and guesthouses since there is really no room for expansion as the steep rocky coastline will not allow it. The temple on top of the hill is one of those places sunset is spectacular to watch over the Eagean sea. Assos is one of the most romantic places in Turkey and is a great destination for a 2-3 day stay.

Ayvalik

The area north of Izmir, is not well known to overseas traveler, mostly because of time limitations while touring Turkey. On the other hand, European traveler knows the region quite well. Small cities and villages along the coast are visited mostly by Scandinavian, English and German tourists as a regular vacation spot.

The most popular destination of the North Egean is Ayvalik. The area is famous for not only its sandy beaches at Sarmisakli, but also the small island of Cunda (Alibey). The island was once popular for its fish restaurants, but now that the island is connected to the land by a highway many buildings, vacation villages have been built. Now for the best of the island, you should travel all the way down to where the old town is. These are old small Greek houses with all their charm. Many of them are turned to become guest houses (pansiyons) serving both Turkish and foreign travelers.

The region is famous for olive oil and soap. You may find some the best in the region. About one hour drive from Ayvalik, stands Pergamon as one the best preserved ancient Greek cities, where parchment is invented. The site also offers a great view to the valley below.

Bergama- Pergamon

Pergamon is one of the spectacular sites in the Aegean region. It is perched high on the hill overlooking the fertile plains. The site was inhabited since thousands of years, the times of Troy. It had the second largest library on earth after Alexandria. The site is also known as the place where parchment was invented.

Bergama, the modern town is not an touristically interesting city. The city's main source of income is farming

Izmir

The city is the main transportation artery for the whole Aegean region. However, a few ancient ruins remained in the city. Today the city is one of the modern big cities without much touristic interest.

However it may be nice base if you would like to explore the region surrounding it.

Cesme-Karaburun- Ildiri- Erythrai

Along the Karaburun peninsula there are many villages and holiday centers. With the opening of a new autoroute (turnpike) the most important holiday centre, Cesme is only one hour drive from Izmir city center. This pensinsula is usually crowded by the dwellers of Izmir who are taking the weekend off. It is also a major destination for European tourists, especially Germans. There are also many small fishing villages, calm and much less visisted by the tourists. One of them is Karaburun which also has good hotels.

In the vicinity of Izmir there are even smaller villages where you can simply relax, away from the crowds, and swim in a crystal clear sea. One of them is Ildiri, near the ancient city of Erythrai.

Ephesus

This is one of the most important and greatest classical cities in the world. A must see site, if you would like to see what is the best preserved ancient city in Turkey, or may be in the world. New research has shown that the city has been inhabited as early as 3000 B.C. long before the Ioninans have built a colony there.

Among the ancient autonomous cities of the Ionian federation along the west coast of Anatolia., Ephesus was among the most important harbour cities. The fleets carried to different ports of the Mediterranean the luxurious goods produced in this region: pottery, fine fabrics, carpets, furniture, metal objects, precious metals.

At the Roman times the city was a center of wealth. The houses of the Roman riches can be seen around the city.

There is a great theater on slopes of Mt. Pion, to the north of the theater one can see the decorated arch, the entrance to the stadium. A wide street called the Arcadian Way streched from the base of the theater lined with statues, porticos and public buildings. Just north of the Arcadian way is the Church of the Virgin Mary.

Another street streches from the theater south to the library of Celsus. To the west of the library are stairs, the tumbled columns, and the exquisite decorations of the temple of Serapis.

Selcuk Museum has a great collection of the artifact excavated from the site.

Kusadasi

Kusadasi is probably the first small town to enjoy tourism boom decades ago. The city is also the stop for many cruiseliners. There are many hotels, guesthouses, discos, bars, restaurants in and around the city, making the city a lively place. Beaches are about 10-20 minutes drive from the city. There is also a yacht marina.

For those who would like a beach vacation, or a more calm vacation away from the city centers, there are many resorts and holiday villages along the cost.

Dilek National Park

A nice piece of nature close to the ancient cities. Beaches melting to the forest scene. There are also camping sites near the park.

Vacation rentals, villas and apartments

Aegean Region Guide, Turkey